La Part des Anges 2018: Cognac charity auction

Since its inception 11 years ago, the specialty Cognac auction known as La Part des Anges (The Angel’s Share) has gone from strength to strength. With all proceeds going to charity, this is an event that the great and the good in the world of Cognac flock to attend, not to mention dig deep to bid for the unique bottles and carafes on offer. And of course, for the avid Cognac collector, this is the chance to own a priceless addition to their collection. It’s also now also possible for people not at the auction itself to also place a bid, which makes it a truly global attraction.

This year the auction takes place on Thursday 22 September, 2018, and all the 22 bottles on offer will be on display before that at the Artcurial Auction House in Paris, France.

As ever, all the proceeds from the auction will be going to charity. Over the years well over 1 million euros have been raised. And with this year’s 22 lots proving to be as extraordinary as ever, it’s sure to be another bumper year. The location for this year’s La Parte des Anges auction is the esteemed hotel, Les Chais Monnet, right in the heart of the Cognac region.

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And the results are in:

This year’s auction raised a record breaking €291,500 euro (approx. $342,000 US dollars). It was the Martell Savoire Faire that took the top price of €35,000 euro, topping its estimate by an incredible €15,000 euro.

But the bottle of most interest was lot 16; the Union Generale des Viticulteurs Cognac, L’Expressions des Terroirs. It had a modest estimate of €3,500, but bidding reached the hallowed heights of €32,000 euro.

The 22 lots were purchased mainly by buyer’s from Europe, Asia, and the US, with the ability to be able to bid online if you couldn’t attend. The lucky winners of all the bottles certainly have some great additions to their collecions. See below for the full list of bottles that were offered in the 2018 Part des Anges Cognac auction.

This year the patron of the auction is none other than French chef, Thierry Marx. So, as you’d expect, the charities chosen to benefit all have a creative cooking theme. The first is the culinary school, Cuisine Mode d’Emploi(s). This school offers the chance for those who didn’t fare so well at school, or perhaps have a conviction, to be able to learn a profession related to cooking.

The second charity is the Association Fraineau. This amazing organization supports young people with mental health challenges learn though a program related to cookery. Located in Cognac itself, the institute features a kitchen and restaurant connected to a meeting and training area. The attendees of the program prepare the meals that are served in the restaurant.

What’s on offer

One big difference in the lots on offer in the 2018 auction is that 15 of the 22 lots also offer a Cognac related experience, as well as the bottle itself. These include meetings with cellar masters, tastings, and VIP visits to some of the most famous Cognac houses in the world.

So, let’s take a look at what artistic and creative delights are on offer this year. And we have to say, these works of arts and priceless Cognacs really are a true feast for the eye. So settle down, switch off your cell, put a ‘do not disturb’ sign up, and enjoy…

Presented in a unique crystal carafe, the last remaining example of a Baccarat creation made for the house’s special edition Cognac, Le Voyage de Delamain.

This Grande Champagne Cognac offers a nose of zesty citrus, spring blossom, quince, and lightly wooded notes. The palate brings oranges and candied fruit. A long finish interwoven with spices and a hint of soft leather.

This lot is one that also brings the winning bidder an ‘experience’. And it’s rather enviable, that’s for sure. The new owner will be presented not only with their purchase, but a sample of the vintage to taste. This will be brought to them by a member of the Delamain family, and the house’s cellar master. As well as this, there’s an insider tour of the Delamain estate, and a private tasting of some of their rarest vintages in the Chai Millesime, opened especially for the occasion by a BNIC controller.

Lot 2: Cognac Ferrand Fondation 1630

This unique carafe has been created to celebrate the birth of the founder of Maison Ferrand, Elie Ferrand. It’s a Grande Champagne Cognac presented in a Saint Louis Crystal decanter from the beginning of the 20th century.

The Cognac is said to be powerful and aromatic, with a harmonious play of leather, tobacco, and candied fruits. In addition, the Cognac comes with the change to share some time with the house’s cellar master, Alexandre Gabriel, in the Domaine de Bonbonnet.

A lovely backstory about this Cognac that began its days in the year that space explorer, Neil Armstrong, was born. ‘From the Earth to the Moon’, it offers a woody, spicy tasting experience, and is presented in a timelessly stylish carafe and presentation case.

A beautifully simplistic decanter and stand house this Cognac that’s an evocation of the Boinaud family heritage. This is a Fine Champagne blend offered in a presentation that represents the successive growth rings of the oak tree, reflecting the passing years and spreading of the reputation of Maison Boinaud.

Lot 5: Courvoisier L’Essence – Extrait No 8

You’d certainly expect Courvoisier to push the boat out, and they’ve certainly not disappointed. This blend of tres vieille Borderies eaux-de-vie is presented in a specially designed Baccarat decanter. This will be personalized for the winning bidder. L’Essence boasts aromas of candied orange and gingerbread, with a palate of sandalwood and toffee.

The winning bidder also benefits from a two-day program of total immersion into the ‘Universe of Courvoisier’. Discover the estate, the Chateau, distillery, aging cellars, paradis cellar, and the chance to dine with the Courvoisier master blender.

A truly outstanding Cognac in a unique decanter. In 2004 a Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne from the vintage 1988 harvest were blended, and placed within oak barrels. These were then placed on board the ship, the Nordnege, for an eight-month journey that took in the waters of the Arctic and the Antarctic. The motion of the waves and the temperature variations have led to an extraordinary flavorsome Cognac: Harmonious, delicate, with notes of liquorice, frangipane, cocoa, vanilla, and nutmeg. Beautifully presented in a crystal decanter on which is etched a depiction of the traveller’s tree, drawn by Celine Delcourt.

Lot 7: Hennessy Edition Particuliere No5

For any lover of Hennessy, this is a truly exciting Cognac. And that’s because it’s the first creation of ‘new’ cellar master, Renaud Fillioux, for the house’s collection of rare Cognacs. These, the most precious eaux-de-vie of the house, are kept in the Founder’s Cellar, and only tasted once every 10 years.

In addition, the winning bidder gets a visit to Cognac, a meet with Fillioux himself, and get the ultra-rare chance to see the demijohns of priceless Cognacs housed within the Founder’s Cellar.

Lot 8: Bisquit L’Origine

A wonderful Cognac created from a blend of some of the house’s rarest Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne eaux-de-vie. Presented in a leather covered crystal decanter, this lot offers a truly an amazing experience. This is a visit for two people to the estate of Bisquit Cognac, where they’ll be taken by the President of the house and the cellar master to the Paradis Cellar. Here they will get to fill their decanter with the precious nectar.

An extraordinary work of art from the house of Meukow. This piece is created from 10 different crus and vintages, selected by cellar master, Anne Sarteaux, and housed in 20 glass 5cl tubes (two of each).

An amazing blend of some of the most exceptional eaux-de-vie of the house, from the terroirs of Fins Bois and Borderies. The winning bidder wills pend two days at the house of Merlet, in Saintonge, blending this unique Cognac under the watchful eyes of Gilles Merlet and his son Pierre. They then get to seal it with wax, and become the official owners of this one-off, truly special bottle of Cognac.

Entitled, ‘Experience’, because this really is what the product provides. The family Abecassis have combined artwork with the joy of Cognac. Master glassmaker, Dion Diaconescu, and the artist, Celine Delcourt, have worked together to create a unique presentation that represents an old vine and the slow process of Cognac transformation.

The purchaser will be invited to stay at the hotel, Les Chais Monnet, in Cognac. From here they will visit the estate of ABK6, and will fill their own bottle of Cognac in the Paradis Cellar with the help of the house’s cellar master.

A blend of the very best eaux-de-vie created by cellar master, Richard Braastad. It’s a tribute to Sverre Braastad, who took over the family business in 1919, leading it to become what is still today one of the largest family run houses in the Cognac region.

Presented in a beautiful crystal decanter of Norwegian origin, and in a wooden box crafted by Julien Drevelle. The box in turn provides the perfect place in which to keep cigars.

Lot 13: Hine duo Cognac Millesime 1995 Grande Champagne

This exciting lot consists of two bottles. Twins at birth, they were separated to be aged in completely different ways. One remained in the Hine cellars in Jarnac. The other crossed the Channel to be aged in damp cellars on the shores of England.

As well as becoming the owner of these two unique bottles, the highest bidder will be invited to Hine’s estate for a private tasting in their Chai des Millesimes. In addition, they’’’ be able to remove the seals of an Early Landed vintage case of Cognac just arriving from the UK, and to participate in an exclusive first tasting.

The estimate for this lot is 4,000 euros.

Discover more about the Cognacs of Hine, and their unique Early Landed creations.

Lot 14: Martell Savoir-Faire

Using only extremely well aged eaux-de-vie from the Borderies terroir, this blend is a joint effort from the five master blenders of the house of Martell. They chose the components and the actual blend was carried out by Christophe Valtaud. But the loveliness doesn’t end there, as the carafe and case are pretty special. Using Ebony and parchment, the association of the finest of French artisans, Les Grands Ateliers de France, crafted a stunning case inspired by the intricacies of the vine.

The lucky auction winner will also be invited to Martell’s, Chateau de Chanteloup, where they’ll get an exclusive tour and Cognac tasting with the cellar master, as well as the chance to blend their very own Cognac.

An offering with a difference, created by the winemakers of Cognac. This contains five separate flacons of Cognac from different terroirs, each aged for a minimum of 47 years. These hand blown bottles were created by art glass maker, Federic Alary, and are displayed in a oak, vine, and copper presentation box made by the Ateliers Drevelle.

The winning bidder will also be able to take advantage of a unique experience in Cognac, visiting various wine cellars and being introduced to all the intricacies of each and every aspect of Cognac making.

Consisting of one full sized bottle and four additional flacons, this is a Petite Champagne delight created from eau-de-vie distilled at the turn of the 20th century. This was just a few years after the house of Bache Gabrielsen came into being. The four small flacons are reference to the four passion of the founder, Thomas Bache Gabrielsen. These were aviation, sailing, gastronomy, and music.

This lot comes with an incredible Cognac experience. You’ll be guest of honor at the Bache Gabrielsen HQ. and get to spend the weekend living the way that Thomas Bache Gabrielsen himself did. This will include a flight over the Cognac region in a private aircraft, sailing the Charantais shore line, dining on the very same menu that Thomas and his wife enjoyed on their wedding day, and attending a piano performance in his honor.

For this lot the two bottles have been restyled and presented in a unique box. And the purchaser of this lot will also enjoy a tailor made experience with Baptiste Loiseau and the delights of the house of Remy Martin.

This comes from Jacques Hardy’s private collection and is the very last of a limited run of 100 bottles that were produced for the Asian market in the early 1970s. It’s a blend of Grande Champagne eaux-de-vie, each aged for a minimum of 50 years, and encased in a Lauzin crystal decanter.

The estimate for this lot is 2,000 euros.

Find out more about the house of Hardy and the wonderful Cognacs they produce.

Lot 20: Larsen Hymne au Voyage

The house of Larsen has always had a distinctly maritime theme, and this offering for the 2018 Part des Anges auction is no different. Distilled and aged for several decades, the precious nectar was then transferred to demijohns and further aged within the walls of the mythical Fort Boyard. A one-off decanter and presentation stand.

The buyer will be invited to travel to Fort Boyard where they will undertake a wonderful tasting session, amongst other delights.

The estimate for this lot is 5,000 euros.

Discover all the wonderful history and Cognacs on offer from the house of Larsen.

Lot 21: Chateau Montifaud L’Alambic

We have to say, this is a beautiful offering! It’s a blend of very old Petite Champagne eaux-de-vie, including the very last that was distilled using a wood-fired pot still. The presentation is of a wonderful old copper pot still, hammered by hand and displayed on a wooden base.

Lot 22: Normandin Mercier Old Fashioned

From the premier terroir of Grande Champagne, this blend of eaux-de-vie from the 1960s and 1970s really does have a retro look to it. As well as owning this bottle of prestigious Cognac, the winning bidder will enjoy the amazing experience of spending a morning blending and producing eaux-de-vie with the house’s cellar master, Edourad Normandin.

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Jacki has been with Cognac Expert from virtually the beginning. She's the senior editor of the blog, and has spent much of her life living in rural France. Today she's based back in the UK, where she splits her working life between writing for Cognac Expert and working as a Paramedic at a large regional hospital.

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We're sister and brother, Sophie and Max, and we are part of a new generation of Cognac lovers. Our dream is to rejuvenate the world of Cognac, and to get rid of the tweed and cigar image that has been associated with the spirit for so long...

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We're sister and brother, Sophie and Max, and we are part of a new generation of Cognac lovers. Our dream is to rejuvenate the world of Cognac, and to get rid of the tweed and cigar image that has been associated with the spirit for so long. Cognac has many beautiful facets: While its tradition and cultural heritage are closely tied to the French Charente-region, Cognac attracts international customers who are looking for sophistication and a unique experience.

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